Smoke showing fire movement on the southwest side of the fire, as seen from Fern Lake Trail area, on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. / Courtesy NPS

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A wildfire in Rocky Mountain National Park continues to spread, jumping a creek seven weeks after it started as high winds have prevented access by firefighting aircraft.

“We’re facing some pretty difficult conditions today with humidity ... gusty, strong winds all day today,” said park spokeswoman Traci Weaver, adding that winds kept a large helitanker away from the fire until Tuesday afternoon.

The Fern Lake Fire, about 9 miles west of Estes Park, has spread across Spruce Creek to the south, where fire crews are “taking action on the ground,” according to a park service news release.

The smoke is growing and has become visible from several places along the Front Range. With no change in weather expected anytime soon, a wildland fire engine and more air resources are being called in, according to the release.

The wildfire west of Moraine Park is burning in steep, rugged terrain that includes beetle-killed trees limiting direct attack by firefighters on the ground. Smoke became visible as the fire rekindled on Thanksgiving Day, and the growth potential remains high. It was mapped Saturday at about 1,370 acres and started Oct. 9.

The wildfire is expected to continue burning until a significant snow event. The Estes Park forecast includes partly cloudy to sunny skies with windy weather and no indication of rain through the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

There’s some snow on the ground from the last storm, but Weaver said “this fire’s not really slowed that much by snow. It appears to be melting snow as it advances.”

She said it’s unusual to have a wildfire so close to treeline this late in the season.

A fire and smoking ban is in effect until further notice in the backcountry of the park, east of the Continental Divide. Moraine Park Campground remains open and campfires in grates are allowed. Use of fire anywhere in the area should be used with extreme caution.

“For visitor safety, trails in the immediate area of western Moraine Park and the fire are closed to hikers. This includes Fern Lake Road beyond the winter parking lot, Fern Lake Trail all the way to Lake Helene (by The Pool, Fern Falls, Fern Lake, Odessa Lake to Helene), the Cub Lake Trail from the trailhead to The Pool and the Mill Creek Trail from the Mill Creek Basin campsites to the Cub Lake Trail. Visitors who ignore trail closures will be issued a citation. Trails are posted and physically closed,” according to the news release.

Information about the fire will be updated in additional press releases and is also available at inciweb.org/incident/3294, and on the park’s website atwww.nps.gov/romo and by dialing (970) 586-1381, a recorded fire information number. New information about the Fern Lake Fire will be released as it becomes available.

For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park, please call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206 or visit www.nps.gov/romo.